Ancient Egyptian spearing Fish.
ing instrument, and this seems to have led to the be- lief of fishes being attracted and caught by musical sounds ; stories of such, including Arion and the dol- phin, are collected by Schelhorn in his Dissertatio de niJT ^:jb^ JoU (Ugolini Thesanr. xxix, 329), "The Egj'ptian fishermen used the net ; it was of a long form, like the common drag-net, with wooden floats on the upper and leads on the lower side; though sometimes let down from a boat, those who pulled it generally stood on the shore and landed the fish on a shelving bank" (Wilkinson, ii, 21). This net is men- tioned in Isa. xix, 8, under the name JTlTaDp. It is, however, doubtful whether this be anything more than a frame, somewhat between a basket and a net, resem- bling the landing-net represented in Wilkinson, iii, 55. The Mishna (vi, 76,116) describes it by the word "'IpN, akun , nnssa, corbispiscatoria, a basket. Maillet (Epist. ix) expressly says that '•'■ nets for fishing are not used in Egifpt." If this be so, the usage has much alter- ed since the times which Wilkinson has described. Frames for fishing, attached to stakes driven into the bottom, were prohibited in the lake of Tiberias, "be- cause they are an impediment to boats" (Talmudic Gloss, quoted by Lightfoot, Jlorcn Hehr. on Matt, iv, 18). No such prohibition existed in Egj'pt, where wicker-traps, now as ancientlj', are placed at the mouths of canals, by which means a great quantitj' of fish is caught (Rawlinson, Herod, ii, 232, note). The custom of dr^'ing fish is frequently represented in the sculp- tures of Upper and Lower Egypt (p. 127, note). There was a caste of fishermen ; and allusion to the artificial reservoirs and fish-ponds of Egypt occurs in the Proph-
FISHER
580
FISHER
Ancient Egyptians fishing with tlie Net and drying Fish in the ringing of the Boat. A Itite sits upon the mast waiting for the
eutrails of the fisli.
ets (Isa. xix, 8-10). Fishinc; pavilions, apparently built on the margin of artificial lakes, also appear in the Assyrian sculptures (Laj'ard's Nineveh, i,55). Ac-
Aucient Assyrian tisliing in a l^nke witli a J-ine, without a Kod, and carrying a rasli Uasliet on liis Slioulders.
cording to Aristotle (^Hist. Anini. viii, 19), comp. with Luke V, 5, (he night was the best time for fishing oper- ations: "before sunrise and after sunset." — Kitto, s. V. ; Smith, s. v. ; Fairbairn, s. v.
Fisher (5W, davvag', Jer. xvi, IC [marg.] ; Ezek. xlvii, 10; or 5*'!, dayyag', Isa. xix, 8; Jer. xvi, 16 [text] ; Gr. a\uvQ, seaman or sailor, hence fisherman, as rendered Luke v, 2), a term used, besides its literal import [see Fishing, above], in the phrase "fishers of men" (Matt, xix, 1 ; Mark i, 17), as applied by our Sa- viour to the apostles (q. v.) in calling them to their oflSce ; and in a like typical manner, but in an unfavor- able sense, the word occurs Jer. xvi, IG. The applica- tion of the figure is obvious (see Weniyss, Symbolical Diet. s. v.). On the "fisher's coat" (J^TnvSvTi]Q, iiyhu xxi, 7), see Coat.
Fisher, Edward, an English Protestant theolo- gian, was born in 1597, and was educated at Oxford, where he became a gentleman commoner in 1627. He taught a school at Caermarthen, in Wales, and died in Ireland. lie was a strong Calvinist. His 3Iarrow of Modern Divinity, published in 1644, excited a vigor- ous controversy when republished in Scotland bj^ Hogg (1718, 8vo), It went through numerous editions (12th ed. Lond. 1726, with notes by Thomas Boston, 2 vols. 8vo). Fisher also wrote Appeal to the Conscience (Q-a- ford, 1644, 8vo) :— /•easi of Asses (1644, 4to): — Caveat to the Sabbatarians (1650, 4to). — Allilione, Dictionary of Authors, 8, V. ; Ilagenbach, History of Doctrines, ed. Smith, ii, 431. See Marrow Controversy.
Fisher, John, bishop of Rochester, was, born at Beverly, in Yorkshire, in 1459. He was educated at ilichael House, Cambridge, of which houSe he became master in 1495; and being appointed confessor to Mar- garet, countess of Richmond, mother of Henry VII, he
induced her to found St. John's and Christ's colleges. He was made divinity-professor in Cambridge, 1502, and bishop of Rochester, 1504. He was a great ben- efactor to the University of Cambridge. He opposed the Lutheran reformation, and was supposed b}' some to be the real writer of Henry VI IPs book against Lu- ther ; and on Luther's reph'ing, he wrote a Defnce of the King of England's Assertion of the Catholic Faith. He continued in high favor with Henry VIII till he opposed the king's divorce, and to his honest views on this point he adhered unflinchingly. He remained un> molested till 1534, wheti he refused to take the oath of allegiance, and was committed to the Tower. He was attainted bj' Parliament November 3, 1534, and his bishopric was declared void January' 2, 1535. He would probably have been permitted to remain quietlj' in prison during the rest of his life had not Paul III, by making him, in May, 1535, cardinal-priest of St. Vitalis, angered the king, who issued orders that no person should be permitted to bring the hat into his dominions. Lord Cromwell, being sent to examine the bishop, asked him, "My lord of Rochester, what would j'ou say if the pope should send you a cardinal's hat; would you accept of it?" The bishop replied, "Sir, I know myself to be so far unwortliy anj' such dignity, that I think of nothing less : lut if any such thing should happen, assure yourself tlint I should im- prove that favor to the best advantage that I could, in assisting the Holy Catholic Church of Christ, and in that respect I would receive it upon my knees." When this answer was brought to the king In' secre- tary Croinwell, Henry said in a great passion, "Yea, is he yet so lusty ? Well, let tlie pope send liim a hat when he will, Mother of God, he shall wear it on his shoulders then, for I will leave him never a head to set it on." Fisher was convicted of high treason, and be- headed on Tower Hill, Jtme 22, 1535. His Life by Bai- ley is published with those of More and Roper (Dub- lin, 1835, 7th edit.). There is also a Life by Lewis (Lond. 1862, 2 vols. 8vo). His polemical and miscel- laneous writings will be found in the edition Opera J. Fisheri qiice hactenus invtniri pottwnint omnia (AVurtzb. 1597, fol.). "The character of Fisher is remarkalile for firmness. In his steady maintenance of the fallen cause of queen Catharine, undaunted by the anger of the vindictive king, this quality peculiarly shone forth; and still more with regard to the oath of supremacy, refusal to take which was certain to call forth severe punishment, and in all probability death. Fisher was immovable, not being convinced that he was in the wrong; his fearless firmness allowed him to maintain an open profession that he was in the right. He w;:s a learned and devout man, and his conduct fully proved his sincerity." — Dupin, Eccles. Hist. cent, xvi, p. 412 ; Burnet, Hist. E'form. ii, 248, 567 sq. ; Hook, Feci. Bl- ography, v, 132.